UMaine men’s hockey benefited from strong goalie play

ORONO, Maine — A major highlight of the weekend for the University of Maine men’s hockey team was the goaltending of junior Dan Sullivan, junior Martin Ouellette and freshman Matt Morris.

Sullivan made 16 saves in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac, while Ouellette turned aside 14 of 15 shots in 30 minutes, 12 seconds in Sunday’s 2-2 tie with the University of New Brunswick and Morris rejected 13 of 14 in 34:48 against UNB.

“I feel great about our goaltending,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “We know we have three guys who can grab the No. 1 job at any time. [Sullivan] has the edge based on what he earned last year, but all three were solid, confident and poised.”

“That was probably the biggest thing to come out of the weekend. We have very solid goaltending,” added Whitehead.

“They all played at a really high level and that’s exciting for our team,” said defenseman Nick Pryor.

“They were all very focused, they played well and they gave us confidence,” said senior defenseman and tri-captain Mike Cornell. “They bailed us out at times.”

“I’m sure they’ll all be called upon at some time this season,” added Cornell.

Sullivan said Ouellette and Morris “did a great job.”

“They were terrific,” agreed UNB defenseman Chad Denny.

Ouellette and Morris were happy with their performances and praised their teammates.

“The guys played well defensively and made our jobs pretty easy,” said Ouellette.

“Jon Swavely’s blocked shot [on which he was injured] said it all,” said Morris. “The guys really sacrificed their bodies [to block shots]. It was a great team effort and it really helped me get comfortable early.”